InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Latent Destiny ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

 

A/N: A big thank you to you all for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. And for those of you who celebrates Christmas, I wish you a Merry Christmas! Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter of this story. Enjoy!

 

 

A LatentDestiny by elle6778 - Chapter 4

 

 

“Inuyasha is still sealed to the Goshinboku.”

 

Numb with incomprehension, Kagome dropped her backpack to one side and fell to her knees. Why? Why was Inuyasha still sealed to the Goshinboku? Did that mean that she had gone back much further in time? Back to the time when they had first met? Or even before that?

 

“Explain, Miko.”

 

She raised her eyes up to the taiyoukai. For once, he was not wearing that blank look. This time, he actually looked puzzled, and maybe even a little concerned. Glancing down at her hands, she tried to think of how she should explain this to Sesshoumaru. She guessed it was best to start right from the beginning.

 

“The first time I went to the past, it was an accident. I was in this wellhouse, looking for my cat, Buyo, when this scary looking centipede demon pulled me into the well. She wanted the Shikon-no-tama.”

 

“Did you see this youkai this time?” Sesshoumaru asked.

 

She shook her head. “No. But everything seemed to look like what it was when I first fell in years ago. Inuyasha is sealed to the tree, and the vines are all crawling over him. It was as if the last few years didn't happen. Sesshoumaru…” She gave him a pleading look. “What's going on?”

 

For a moment, the taiyoukai simply stared at her. Then he glanced towards the well with a contemplative look. “I do not know.”

 

“So what do I do now?”

 

Another pause followed before he spoke again. “You may chose to remain here. Or return to the past. It is your choice.”

 

She wanted to hit something. Couldn't he be just a little more helpful? “But the past… the well brought me back too far into the past! Even if I go back I wouldn't know what to do!” she exclaimed vehemently.

 

At her tone, a flash of disapproval crossed his face. However, his tone was level when he said, “It is possible that you have to reenact the events of those years. Without making the wish at the end of your journey.”

 

Kagome's jaw dropped. “You're kidding, right?”

 

He cast her a look of disdain. “No.”

 

Groaning, she slapped her palm on her forehead. “I can't live through those years in the same way. I mean, how am I supposed to make sure that everything remains the same when I know what's going to happen?”

 

“Perhaps it is sufficient to ensure simply ensure that certain events do occur.”

 

She threw her arms up in the air. “And how am I supposed to know WHICH event must occur?” she snapped, irritated at the hopelessness of the entire situation.

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. “Do not raise your voice at me.”

 

Realizing that nothing good could come out of angering Sesshoumaru, Kagome ground her teeth together to suppress her temper. Her voice was tight when she said, “It's all easy for you to say. You're standing here, doing absolutely nothing, expecting me to follow your orders.”

 

“I expect nothing, Miko. This is merely Inuyasha's wish.”

 

She bit her lips as her irritation dissipated to be replaced by sadness. Yes, Inuyasha wanted this whole thing fixed. But how was she supposed to do it?

 

“Miko.”

 

“What?” she muttered dejectedly.

 

“What is different from the time you traveled in the past?”

 

What was different? She frowned. “Well, I saw Inuyasha sealed to the tree. Then these villagers came up to me. I stayed there for a while with Kaede because I wasn't sure how to get back. Soon afterwards, I released Inuyasha so that he could fight the centipede demon,” she paused, trying hard to remember the sequence of events when something suddenly occurred to her.

 

“Wait! There's no centipede demon this time.”

 

“Hn. There is a protective ward around the shrine. It is unlikely that the youkai could approach, even from the well.”

 

“Oh, I see.” That was another thing which was different from her own time. Picking up from before, she continued, “After that there was this crow youkai that took off with the Shikon-no-tama…”

 

He gave her an impatient look when she paused.

 

Grimacing, she continued, “I shot at it. And that's when the Shikon-no-tama shattered. After that, Inuyasha and I started traveling all over the place to look for the shards.”

 

“You did not return to your own time?”

 

Her frown deepened. “I think I only returned not long after we found the first shard,” she replied hesitantly. It was hard to remember when exactly things had happened after all this time.

 

“And you brought the shard to your own time?” he asked. “While the rest was back in the past?”

 

“Yes.” Suddenly comprehending why Sesshoumaru was asking all these questions, Kagome jumped to her feet. “You got some ideas of what happened, don't you?” she exclaimed excitedly.

 

“Hn.”

 

She grabbed his sleeve. “What is it then?” she urged.

 

He directed a pointed look at his sleeve, and Kagome instantly released it. “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly. She must remember that he did not like to be touched.

 

A long moment passed while the taiyoukai stared into nothing. Kagome fought the urge to fidget as her impatience grew. When she was about to open her mouth, Sesshoumaru finally turned to her.

 

“This is merely speculation, however, it is possible that the Shikon-no-tama affects the link between the past and the future.”

 

She blinked at him, not quite getting what he was saying. “Uh… Can you explain that a bit more?”

 

“When the jewel was broken, some of it remained in the past while you traveled back to your own time, is that correct?”

 

She nodded.

 

A contemplative look crossed his features before he explained, “When you completed the jewel and returned here, you broke the connection with that particular time in the past, and your future changed to reflect your actions in the past. If you had left a shard back in the past before you returned, then perhaps your future would remain unchanged and you would return to the past where Naraku had just been destroyed. The past that you are familiar with.”

 

Her mind swirled with the information. Not quite certain that she got it right, she ventured hesitantly, “You mean if I cross the well from the past into the future with a complete jewel, I effectively reset the timeline so that it takes into account what I've done in the past?”

 

“Hn.”

 

“And once the jewel is complete and I'm in the present, crossing the well would bring me back to the time when I first met Inuyasha no matter what. Unless I leave a part of the jewel behind, then the well would link the timeline, making it move together with this present future?” She slumped. “I'm so confused.”

 

He nodded. “Correct. Once you enter the well to the past, your actions will only be reflected in the future if you return with a complete jewel. If you leave a part of the jewel behind, then the changes would not take effect. If you do not leave a part of the jewel behind in the past, the time link would be lost.”

 

“So this means that I cannot come to see you all once I jump into the well, or else I'll just end up seeing Inuyasha sealed to the Goshinboku again if I tried to go back after that.”

 

“Hn.”

 

Raising a hand to rub her forehead, Kagome muttered, “I think I understand… a little.”

 

So, it looked like she did not have much of a choice. Remaining in this future was out of the question because it was so blatantly wrong, to her anyway. Which meant that her only choice was to return to the past and fix things the best she could.

 

But it would take years!

 

Groaning at the thought, Kagome raised her eyes to Sesshoumaru, noting that his impassive expression was back in place. He had helped a lot by explaining things, even though it was all just guesswork. But it was better than having no clue at all of what was going on, right? Besides, what he said made sense.

 

All she had to do now was to go back to the past.

 

With a sigh, she picked up her backpack. “I don't think I'll be coming back here if it means shattering the jewel again. It's too dangerous.”

 

“Hn.”

 

“So, I guess I won't be seeing you again.”

 

He gave her an odd look. “We will meet in the past, Miko.”

 

Her lips twisted wryly. “Yeah, I know. You'll probably try to kill me like you did the last time, right?”

 

“That is to be expected.”

 

She grinned weakly. Fighting Sesshoumaru back then had been quite a scary experience. But then again, she was not as unskilled this time round, so maybe she would be alright.

 

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the well and swung her legs over the rim.

 

“Miko.”

 

She paused at his voice. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulders at him.

 

“Do not let Rin die.”

 

She smiled. “I won't.”

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

The night was silent bar the sound of gentle splashes against the side of the boat occupied by two individuals. Lit only by the moonlight and the fireflies dotting the air, the river was a vision of languid peace.

 

Peace, however, was not quite what a certain taiyoukai was experiencing. Sesshoumaru's mind was occupied with one thing only as he allowed the small boat to carry him further east.

 

Tetsusaiga.

 

They had searched all over, but to no avail. The clues left by his deceased father was cryptic indeed. He would have to think harder upon the words to solve the puzzle. And it would certainly help if Jaken did not insist on prattling. Still, it was his retainer's job to inform him of such things, therefore he would simply have to bear with it.

 

“Rumor has it that a powerful water elemental was sealed recently.”

 

“Hn.”

 

Such occurrences were simply part of the continual power struggle between the elementals, he supposed. It did not concern him, for as powerful as they were, they were a dying breed and would soon be extinguished one way or another. Still, he found it curious that such an elemental youkai would allow himself to be sealed so easily.

 

Unaware of his musings, Jaken continued to elaborate, “The young youkai had angered another clan by refusing to mate with a chosen female. The mating had been arranged to combine two powerful bloodlines. This foolish refusal to obey sealed his own fate. The father of the rejected bride was rightfully offended and decided to exact punishment. A battle had ensued, and the young youkai had ended up being sealed.”

 

“Hn.”

 

Jaken blinked up at him. “Ah, pardon me for my useless words. I'm sure Sesshoumaru-sama has more pressing matters to attend to.”

 

“Tetsusaiga.”

 

“Ah, yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. I have wondered that perhaps Inuyasha knows where it is.”

 

Sesshoumaru felt his jaw tick. Inuyasha, his bastard half-brother his father had created with a human. Even though he knew that Inu-no-Taishou and his mother had mated to combine their strength, it was still disgraceful for his father to betray his mother in such a manner. To further the insult, the hanyou was a weakling.

 

“Hmm… Inuyasha is still sealed to that tree, isn't he?” Jaken mused thoughtfully. “If we can find someone to free him, maybe he would be able to tell us where Tetsusaiga is.”

 

Irked at his retainer's continual reference to Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru shoved him out of the boat and with the Staff of two Heads, held the diminutive youkai down in the river. Frantic sputters broke the calmness of their journey, but Sesshoumaru ignored it.

 

Still, he could not help but wonder if Jaken might have a point.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Kagome stood silently in front of the Goshinboku.

 

This was the third time she had jumped back to past in one day. The second time round, she had decided to test Sesshoumaru's theory by rearranging some rocks in a pattern next to the well. Then she jumped back to the future to find a frowning Sesshoumaru standing there. A quick explanation and wave later, she was back through the well for the third time.

 

The rock formation she had left earlier was nowhere to be seen, so that proved that Sesshoumaru was right at least in this instance. So long as the jewel was not left in the past, the timeline would not be linked.

 

Sighing, she looked up at the red figure up against the tree. Inuyasha looked so peaceful, sealed to the tree like that. She could not help but wonder if this all could be avoided if she did not release him in the first place. The moment the thought crossed her mind, Kagome shook her head vehemently. No. Stop thinking like that. She could not possible leave Inuyasha sealed to the tree.

 

Remembering the reason why she was still standing around, Kagome glanced around irritably. Where was that centipede youkai? There was no sign of the demon and for all she knew, the demon would not even turn up. And if she remembered correctly, those villagers would turn up soon as well, accusing her of being a demon.

 

With a huff, she turned back to Inuyasha, as if to seek some answers. So what should she do now? Wait?

 

What else could she do?

 

So she waited.

 

She sat at the base of the Goshinboku and waited.

 

She waited until the sun went down and still, nothing happened.

 

Her patience finally ran out and she shot to her feet. Turning around, she glared at the innocently sleeping Inuyasha.

 

Was there even any point in waiting?

 

Was if things were never meant to turn out the same way anyway?

 

Her lips compressed in a thin line. Well, she could not wait forever. So she might as well get on with releasing Inuyasha. Mind made up, she stepped closer to the Goshinboku and raised herself up onto one of the protruding roots. Her heart thumped in anticipation as she studied Inuyasha's face. How would he react to seeing her?

 

She reached up to touch his ears and almost fell backwards when a pair of golden eyes snapped open. For a moment, she could only stare at him.

 

Then those eyes narrowed in fury.

 

“Kikyo!” Inuyasha hissed.

 

Shoulders slumping, Kagome groaned out loud. Not this again. She should have known that this would happen. Still, now that she knew the full story, she should not really be mad at him, right?

 

Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, “Inuyasha. I'm not Kikyo.” Without waiting for a response, she thrust her hand under his nose. “Smell,” she ordered flatly.

 

An incredulous expression crossed his features, and then he tried to jerk away from her. “I don't know what you're trying to pull, Kikyo. Whatever it is, it won't work!” he snarled.

 

This was not how she had envisaged this encounter at all, but then again, everything else seemed messed up. So why not this as well, she thought irritably.

 

Refusing to back down, Kagome snapped, “You baka! Just take a sniff and you'll know I'm not Kikyo!” With that, she jerked her hand closer to his nose, only to slam hard into it.

 

“Argh! Kuso! That hurts!” he yelled indignantly, his nose twitching.

 

Kagome's eyes flashed. She was tired, hungry and was absolutely in no mood for more delays. Reaching out, she grabbed Inuyasha's ear and yanked his head towards her, ignoring his protests.

 

“Listen to me. I'm not Kikyo and would never BE Kikyo. I'm Kagome. KA-GO-ME. Get it?”

 

When she released him, the look he gave her was filled with bewilderment, and a hint of alarm. Then, after a moment of silence his expression evened and he snorted. “Keh! I know that. Kikyo would never speak like that.”

 

She glared at him. “Good. And now that we got that clear, I'm going to release you.”

 

He blinked at her. “W-What?”

 

“I said, I'm going to release you.”

 

A bark of derisive laughter came from him. “You can't. Only Kikyo could release this seal.”

 

A vein in her forehead popped. She would prove him wrong.

 

But before she could reach out to pull the arrow, her senses pricked. Something was coming towards her. She spun around, grasping her bow and arrow steady in her hands. The long grass in the distance was shifting. There was something moving through it.

 

Then her eyes widened in realization.

 

The centipede demon.

 

She could defeat it, but she knew that she had to try to maintain a similar sequence as the past.

 

Or did she?

 

There was no time to think about it.

 

“Inuyasha?” she called out without turning to look at him.

 

“It's coming.”

 

Yes, she knew it was coming. “If I let you go, are you strong enough to defeat it?” she asked.

 

A snort sounded behind her. “What do you take me for?”

 

She spun around. “I take that as a yes, then.'

 

With that, she reached up and closed her fist around the arrow. As she had expected, it immediately dissolved in her hand. A purplish burst of light immediately surrounded them as Inuyasha began to pulse.

 

It pulsed once, twice. Then the vines broke apart and he was standing in front of her.

 

As if on cue, the centipede demon burst out of the tall grass, heading straight for her.

 

“Shikon-no-tama! Give me the Shikon-no-tama!” the demon wailed.

 

Inuyasha swung towards her, his eyes wide in astonishment. “You got the Shikon-no-tama?”

 

The centipede demon was almost upon them. Urgently, Kagome pushed him forward. “There is no time for that, baka! Go!”

 

Inuyasha simply stared at her, as if he was seeing her for the first time. He seemed to be trying to wrap his mind around something. At the rate he was going, the centipede demon would eat them alive before they knew it.

 

“Inuyasha!” she yelled impatiently. “Don't just stand here like this!”

 

When he finally snapped out of it, the demon was within reach. Kagome swung her bow out in reflex, but it was too late. The centipede demon was too close for her to use her weapon. A shriek of frustration escaped her lips when one of the demon's many arms swiped her bow out of her hands. She tried to reach for her weapon, only to be thwarted when the demon snapped at her.

 

Inuyasha launched into the air with his claws raised. “Sankon Tessou!” he snarled as he executed his attack.

 

The centipede demon screamed and trashed as Inuyasha's claws sank into its side. Its tail whipped around erratically as it tried to throw Inuyasha off. Kagome's eyes widened in alarm when she realized that they were all fighting too closely. Before she could do anything, a heavy blow connected with her back.

 

Her mouth opened in a soundless scream when she found herself flying through the air.

 

Everything went black.

 

 

…***….***….***….

 

 

Kagome felt her entire body throb as she slowly regained consciousness. What happened? Where was she? She was fighting not long ago, right? And Inuyasha…

 

“My… my… what do we have here? A little human girl.”

 

Kagome peeled open her eyes at the familiar voice. When it dawned on her just who that voice belonged to, she immediately scrambled to her feet and spun around to find that she was in some sort of valley. There was a large hairball suspended midair not far away from her. Her surroundings confirmed what she suspected even before her eyes landed on the demoness before her. The first thought that entered her mind was that they were not supposed to meet so soon.

 

“Yura…” she whispered apprehensively.

 

Standing on top of the gigantic hairball, the dark-haired demoness smirked. “Why, I'm flattered you know me. But then again, who wouldn't know the Yura of the Hair?”

Kagome clenched her hands into fists. This was not good. Yura was a lot more powerful that the centipede demon, and she did not have any weapons with her. So what should she do?

 

Yura adopted a thoughtful look. “I could do with more hair, though.”

 

Eyes widening as the meaning behind those words sank in, Kagome took a step backwards. She had to get away. Fighting would be pointless.

 

Smirking, Yura jumped down to the ground to land in front of her. “Let's see if it's really as strong as it looks, yes?”

 

With an alarmed squeak, Kagome spun around and ran. Threads of hair instantly appeared in front of her in an attempt to block her escape. But Yura did not know that she could see them, so Kagome continued to dodge and weave between the strands, running in the dark towards an unknown direction.

 

Then she spotted something. There was some sort of forest nearby and that looked like a good place to hide. She just had to get away, to get closer to Inuyasha. Her steps faltered slightly as her cheek stung and a line of blood splattered from it. Hissing through her teeth when she realized that Yura's hair had cut her, Kagome redoubled her efforts to escape, pushing the branches out of the way.

 

In her blind dash, she did not see the protruding tree root until her foot caught on it, sending her flying through the air, straight at a rock outcrop. Alarmed, her hands shot out to soften her landing. She registered vaguely that her palms were glowing before she hit the piece of rock. A flare of energy burst through the air as the piece of rock shattered under her glowing palms.

 

Breath knocked out of her, Kagome crumpled to the ground. The shattered pieces of rock were glowing red around her, she observed in astonishment. Then the glow went out, and Kagome glanced at her hands, wondering if she had somehow caused this by using her powers.

 

Heart beating erratically, she scanned her surroundings. There was no sign that Yura had followed her. But Kagome knew that sooner or later, the demoness would catch up. She needed to find somewhere to hide, at least until she could figure out how to get out of this mess.

 

Her eyes landed on a cave nearby, half hidden by boulders. For a moment, she thought that it was glowing red like the shattered pieces of rocks had done. But after a blink, it was no longer there.

 

It must have been her imagination, she figured.

 

Getting to her feet, Kagome stumbled to the cave. Then she paused as a thought occurred to her. The glow might have been some kind of seal. Swallowing hard, she wondered if she might have released something. But what? She sensed nothing ominous from around her.

 

Sensing that Yura was closing in, Kagome quickly pushed past a boulder and peeked into the cave. She could not tell if there was anything inside, but if there was, she did not get the feeling that it was dangerous. Maybe the place was used as some sort of storage and the seal was to keep thieves away.

 

Realizing that she was safe from Yura, at least for the moment, Kagome let herself sag against the cool smooth wall of the cave. Idly, her eyes wandered to her surroundings as her breath evened out. Too dark to see much, so she could not tell if she was alone. For some strange reason, the place looked misty and there was something glowing slightly at the corner of the cave.

 

Curious, she got to her feet and went towards the glow. When she reached, she was surprised to find that it was some sort of conch shell. Kneeling down, she debated whether she should pick it up or not before she finally decided that it was best not to. Who knew what was really in the shell? She had not gone through so many years in the Feudal Era without learning that some things were better left untouched. Maybe this was why the cave was sealed.

 

She backtracked to her previous spot on the floor and sat down. A groan burst from her lips when her bruises protested violently. This time round, things were definitely more painful. Maybe it was because she was all alone, without her hanyou friend. She definitely had not sustained as many wounds the first time round.

 

Suddenly, something flash across her mind. Knowing what it was, Kagome kept herself calm as she studied the `memory' of her other self.

 

She was in the training centre with the two other trainees, seated in a semi-circle around their teacher. Sakura-sensei had her hands spread in front of her, and there was a white glow surrounding her palms.

 

“Focus on drawing forth your healing powers to your palms. But not too much otherwise it will be unstable.”

 

Wordlessly, she tried to call forth the so-called healing power. Then she looked down at her hands uncertainly before she glanced sideways at the other trainees. They were concentrating hard to get their healing powers to surface, and Kagome could see that one of them was already succeeding. Unfortunately, it was not so easy for her. Frowning, she tried again to push the power to her palms.

 

“Kagome.”

 

She glanced up at her name. “Huh?”

 

“You need to summon up the will to mend, not to destroy!” Sakura-sensei scolded as the two other trainees sniggered.

 

Kagome looked down at her palm to see a pearlescent, purplish glow. “Oops,” she exclaimed sheepishly. Right, it should be pure white for healing.

 

The images dissipated away, allowing Kagome to return to the present.

 

A thoughtful look crossed her face. Since she was effectively trained as a miko in that alternate future of hers, it should mean that she had the basic miko knowledge in her mind somewhere. Even though it looked like she had been an utter failure in executing those skills, it did not mean that she could not do it now. After all, she had had three years worth of being in a Feudal Era, using her skills for real. It was like that test, right? Her teacher and the other two students had not expected her to pass, and she suspected that the only reason she had passed was because of her practical experiences.

 

Anyway, there was no harm in trying out what she now knew in theory, she decided with an inward shrug.

 

Brows scrunched in concentration, Kagome brought her hands up and called forth what she hoped was her healing power. To her dismay, what came out was her usual pearlescent miko energy. It looked like she was not so different from her other self after all, she thought dryly. But at least now she knew how to call forth this thing instead of having it appear only when she was in an urgent panic. This was an offensive power she could use whenever she did not have any weapons.

 

With a huff, she steeled her resolve and tried again. This time, she focused her mind on the thought of wounds and stitching them together. When her hands glowed pearlescent purple again, Kagome felt like screaming in frustration.

 

Then it happened.

 

Slowly, the purplish hue dissipated, leaving only pure white. It felt different in her hands, warmer, almost. Practically bouncing with excitement, Kagome carefully brought her glowing palm to the wound on her cheek. She immediately felt a strange tingle upon her skin.

 

Letting the power go, she reached up to touch her cheek to find that it was healed.

 

A wide grin spread her face. Deciding to try it again, Kagome raised her hands and concentrated again. This time, it came easier since she knew what it felt like. One by one, she healed the wounds she had accumulated over the last two fights.

 

When she was sure that everything was healed, Kagome stood up. Now that she knew that she could at least call forth her offensive power, she did not feel so nervous about walking out of this place. She glanced at the mouth of the cave. If she had the chance, she should try to get at that red skull with the comb. Yura was supposed to be killed. And anyway, that demoness was a threat because eventually, she would want Inuyasha's hair, not to mention the Shikon jewel. Right?

 

Taking a deep breath, Kagome walked to the mouth of the cave and slid pass the boulder blocking it. She stilled for a moment, listening out for any unexpected sounds.

 

There was nothing.

 

Steeling her resolve, she marched out and backtracked through the forest. Soon, she found herself in that same valley again. The hairball was still suspended high over her, but Yura was nowhere to be seen. If she remembered correctly, that red skull was hidden inside that hairball. In order to get to it, she had to bring that hairball down somehow.

 

But she had no bows or arrows.

 

Think, Kagome, think. This was no time to give up.

 

Her eyes flitted over her surroundings, noting that there was nothing but rocks. Then an idea came to her, courtesy of her `other' self's training. The knowledge to do so was in her mind, but she did not know if she could manage it. She had done it with arrows, so she should be able to infuse her miko powers into other objects as well if she tried hard enough.

 

Kneeling down, she grabbed a rock and concentrated. The rock glowed for a mere second before it sputtered out. Irritated, she focused harder, willing her power into her rock. She was growing impatient with her lack of success. A quick survey of her surroundings told her that she was still alone, but she did not know how long that would last.

 

“Come on…Come on…” she hissed as she tried again.

 

The rock sputtered a few times more before the glow of miko power turned steadier and steadier. A relieved sigh escaped her as she picked up few more rocks and did the same to them. Then she stood up to face Yura's hairball.

 

Aiming, Kagome threw the first glowing rock at it. The hairball crackled and sparked where it hit, but remained intact. Biting her lips in concentration, she threw the next rock, and the next until the hairball began to weaken and unravel.

 

Eyes widening, Kagome jumped back as the a dull rumble sounded.

 

A fraction of a second later, the hairball split and skulls began to tumble out of it.

 

“Yatta!”

 

Kagome almost jumped with joy. Knowing that she had to hurry, she ran forward and began to search for the red skull amongst the rest of the normal skulls. It was not long before she saw it half-buried some distance away.

 

Scrambling through the skulls, and trying very hard not to think that these used to belong to living humans, Kagome made a beeline towards her target.

 

Then a piercing cry rent the air.

 

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Kagome froze just a few steps away from the red skull. Oh no, Yura was back, she realized with dismay. A quick glance over her shoulders told her that the demoness was very, very angry.

 

“Stop,” a commanding voice sounded.

 

Surprised at the voice, Kagome spun towards her left to see someone she had not met before standing there. Dressed in black, he had curly blue hair which framed his face and brilliant blue eyes. He stood there watching Yura, as if expecting his words to be obeyed.

 

Yura gave the stranger an incredulous look. “You! I thought you were sealed?!”

 

Sealed? What was going on here? Questions ran through her mind, but Kagome quickly brushed them away. She had more important things to focus on right now. Slowly, she began to inch backwards until she reached the skull, all the while keeping her eyes on the other two.

 

The blue-haired stranger simply raised a brow. “You are obviously mistaken.”

 

Yura's eyes flashed. “Don't you dare interfere in this!”

 

Kagome's hand went around the red skull just as Yura swung around furiously. “Take your hands off it!” she snarled as she shot towards her.

 

Alarm instantly coursed through her. Gripping the skull tight against her, Kagome backed away frantically. Then her eyes widened at the sight before her.

 

A thick ribbon of what looked like water shot out of the stranger's palm, heading straight for Yura. Yura did not even have time to turn around before the ribbon twisted, holding her in its water-like grip. Hands immobilized, Yura gasped in outrage.

 

“What? Let me go!”

 

The blue-haired youkai ignored Yura's struggles. His blue eyes shifted to her instead. “Continue,” he directed calmly.

 

Blinking in astonishment, but knowing that she had to make use of the opportunity, Kagome glanced down at the skull in her hands. Lowering it, she picked up another skull and then bashed it against the hard surface until the skull cracked open. As expected, the comb was laying in there.

 

“NO!” Yura shrieked.

 

Biting her lips, Kagome brought the skull down onto the comb, but the skull broke under the impact. This would not work. The comb was obviously protected by some demonic power. She did it with an arrow the last time, but hers had been left behind with Inuyasha. Letting out a hiss of frustration, she glanced around to find something else to use.

 

“Arrow…arrow. I need an arrow or something,” she muttered absently. Maybe anything sharp would do. She could always try to infuse it with miko powers like she had done to the rocks. A quick search around yielded nothing. Frustrated that there was nothing sharp around, she slammed her hand on the ground and groaned, “I need an arrow.”

 

“Here.”

 

Her eyes shot up at the voice. Still holding a shrieking Yura in his water ribbon thing, the blue-haired youkai threw something at her. Kagome did not even see what it was until she caught it in her hands. When she glanced down, she registered that it was a blue shimmering bow with its arrows. The thing looked as if it was made up of ice or water, or something like that but it felt solid enough in her grip.

 

“Um… Thank you,” she said uncertainly.

 

The blue-haired youkai inclined his head, but said nothing.

 

Turning back to the skull, Kagome extracted an arrow and immediately drove it down to the white comb.

 

“NO! STOP IT!!” Yura screamed.

 

Steeling herself, Kagome brought down the arrow onto the white comb again.

 

Almost immediately, a bright flare lit the entire valley. Kagome glanced up to find Yura turning into dust and slowly dissipating into the air.

 

When everything was quiet once again, she turned her attention to the blue-haired stranger. What was he doing there and why was he helping her? How would his interference change the future? And who was he anyway? She did not remember meeting him the last time round. Before she could open her mouth to ask, he took a step away from her.

 

Inclining his head, he said in an even voice. “The debt is repaid.”

 

“Huh?”

 

A moment later, he dispersed into thin air and disappeared.

 

Confused, she could only stare into the empty space where the blue-haired man… no, demon, had stood in just a moment ago. What debt was he talking about? She had not done anything except destroy the skull. Was this all because she had killed Yura?

 

Strange.

 

Walking away from the pile of skulls, Kagome decided not to dwell on it too much. But once again, she could not help but wonder if this would change anything in the future. A heavy breath left her as her footsteps faltered. It was not as if she could do anything about it now.

 

She should just find Inuyasha and try to fix what was supposed to be fixed. There were a lot of people and demons that they had yet to meet and she had to try to make sure that those meetings happened. Like maybe somehow prepare for the inevitable confrontation with Sesshoumaru. But that would mean that they needed to be at a certain place at a certain time, right? Sesshoumaru was supposed to come after Inuyasha with that demoness pretending to be Inuyasha's mother.

 

It turned out that she should not have bothered after all, for right at that moment, she spotted a white figure flying through the sky, heading in the same direction as she was. Her eyes widened in recognition and the thump of her heart grew louder in her ears as she began to run.

 

This was not good at all. Things were not turning out the same way as it had done last time.

 

Sesshoumaru should not be here so soon.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

A/N: I think you all know what sort of direction the story will be taking from this chapter onwards, yes? (Grins) I hope you liked it so far and if you can, please drop me a review. Thanks!